David SchoenfieldNov 7, 2025, 07:00 AM ETCloseCovers MLB for ESPN.com Former deputy editor of Page 2 Been with ESPN.com since 1995
The MLB wild-card era began in 1995 with an iconic series that ended with an iconic photo: Ken Griffey Jr. peeking out from a pile of Seattle Mariners teammates with a smile as big as Mount Rainier after scoring the winning run in the American League Division Series.
Thirty years later, the 2025 season ended with another iconic series and photo: Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the middle of a swarm of his Los Angeles Dodgers teammates, his expression a mix of joy and exhaustion after his legendary performance in winning the final two games of the World Series.
Since the expanded playoffs began — initially eight teams, then 10 and now 12 — there have been 1,097 postseason games. The New York Yankees have played in the most games (232) and have the most wins (131) and championships (five). The Pittsburgh Pirates have played the fewest games (eight) and have the fewest wins (three). Sixteen of the 30 franchises have won the World Series in that span, and another seven have played in one.
Let’s celebrate the past 30 years of playoff baseball by handing out awards and superlatives as we look back at the greatest October players, the games we won’t forget, the moments that make us cry tears of joy — and tears of anguish — and more.
October legends were once made in one moment or one series. With more rounds and more games, October greatness is now accumulated over many moments and series. Here’s the All-October team from the past 30 years, considering results only since 1995.
Corey Seager is a two-time World Series MVP, but Jeter’s volume, overall productivity and five rings earn him the nod here. In basically a full season of postseason play — 158 total career games — Jeter finished with 200 hits, 111 runs and an .838 OPS that was higher than his career mark in the regular season. He was World Series MVP in 2000, when he hit .409 in a five-game win over the New York Mets.
Always the underappreciated star on the Yankees teams that won four titles in five years from 1996 to 2000, Williams is the all-time postseason leader in RBIs, although his best work came in the LCS rather than the World Series.
Berkman was a longtime star with the Houston Astros and then had one final blast of glory with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011, when he helped them win the World Series. He hit .423 in that World Series and .410 in the two total he played in.
Has anyone delivered as many clutch hits as Big Papi? His postseason legend began with his back-to-back walk-off hits in extra innings for the Red Sox in the 2004 ALCS and then was cemented with his World Series performance in 2013, when he hit .688/.760/1.188. The Cardinals finally just quit pitching to him, intentionally walking him three times in Game 6.
Schilling had an all-time great postseason with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001, throwing three straight complete games to begin the playoffs and winning co-MVP honors in the World Series. He had the infamous “Bloody Sock” start in the 2004 ALCS, but everyone forgets his next start: one run in six innings in Game 2 of the World Series as the Red Sox went on to snap the curse.
He had his legendary postseason run in 2014, but check out Bumgarner’s career record in the World Series: 4-0, one save (his five innings to close out Game 7 in 2014), with one run and only 14 hits allowed in 36 innings.
Lester won two rings with the Red Sox and one with the Chicago Cubs, going 4-1 with a 1.77 ERA in six career World Series appearances.
Carpenter had one of the great clutch postseasons in 2011, outdueling Roy Halladay with a 1-0 shutout in Game 5 of the NLDS and then starting three times in the World Series and winning twice, including Game 7 on three days of rest.
We just saw Yamamoto and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. post huge results this past October. Let’s see if either cracks the top five.
Honorable mentions: Scott Spiezio, 2002 Anaheim Angels (19 RBIs); Alex Rodriguez, 2009 New York Yankees (.365, 18 RBIs); Corey Seager, 2020 Los Angeles Dodgers (NLCS and World Series MVP); Adolis Garcia, 2023 Texas Rangers (record 22 RBIs); Ernie Clement, 2025 Toronto Blue Jays (.411, record 30 hits); Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 2025 Toronto Blue Jays (.397, 8 HR)
Bumgarner pitched a shutout in the wild-card game, allowed one run in Game 1 of the World Series, pitched another shutout in Game 5 and then pitched five scoreless innings to close out Game 7 (when he was oddly credited with a save instead of the win).
Johnson lost his first start of the 2001 NLDS — and, remarkably, that was his seventh consecutive losing decision in the playoffs going back to the 1995 ALCS with Seattle. Then, he turned it on: a three-hit shutout in Game 1 of the NLCS, two runs in seven innings in Game 5, another three-hit shutout in World Series Game 2, then a win in Game 6. Like Yamamoto, he came on in relief in Game 7 and got the win when Arizona walked it off in the bottom of the ninth.
Strasburg got the win in the wild-card game with three innings of scoreless relief, had two double-digit strikeout games leading into the World Series, and then twice beat a mighty Astros team in the Fall Classic, allowing just four runs in 14⅓ innings. Like Chris Carpenter in 2011, it would be the last good baseball Strasburg ever pitched: He would go on to win just one more game in his career.
Honorable mentions: Josh Beckett, 2003 Florida Marlins (two shutouts, including the World Series clincher) and 2007 Boston Red Sox (four starts, four wins, 1.20 ERA); Kenny Rogers, 2006 Detroit Tigers (three starts, no runs allowed in 23 innings); Cliff Lee, 2009 Philadelphia Phillies (4-0, 1.56 ERA); Nathan Eovaldi, 2023 Texas Rangers (5-0, 2.95 ERA)
As you probably well know, this past postseason was pretty spectacular. Here are the top five single-game performances of the past 30 years, focusing more on gameplay than clutch moments. Of course, 2025 tops this list.
Halladay spun the second no-hitter in postseason history following Don Larsen’s perfect game in the 1956 World Series. Against the Cincinnati Reds, Halladay fanned eight, walked one, threw 104 pitches and threw first-pitch strikes to 25 of the 28 batters he faced. Only a two-out walk in the fifth inning to Jay Bruce on a 3-2 pitch prevented him from matching Larsen.
OK, it’s impossible to pick the greatest games — it almost seems a little silly to even try. After all, emotion is part of the equation, and emotions are tied to each fan’s favorite team. However, courtesy of my ESPN colleague Paul Hembekides, there is a more objective way to look at this. After the Dodgers’ win in Game 7, Hembekides noted that Game 7 had nine plays that swung the win probability by at least 15% — the most ever in a World Series Game 7.
That’s a pretty good way to look at what makes a game great — multiple nail-biting, game-changing plays. A 15% threshold is actually pretty high for a “big” play; many games don’t have any plays of that magnitude. Of course, a game can be memorable based on one or two great moments, and a low-scoring game can be full of tension. But we relied on that 15% threshold for this list of the greatest games in each round.
We can’t review this era without a quick list of controversial managerial decisions — moves, in other words, that didn’t work out. Yes, it’s easy to second-guess after the fact. But most of these decisions were second-guessed at the moment. We’ll somehow limit this to just 10.
Martinez was still great in 2003, but everyone knew his numbers declined the more pitches he threw in a game, especially after reaching 100. Everyone, apparently, except his manager, who left him in to throw 123 pitches and blow a 5-2 lead in the eighth inning. The Red Sox won the World Series in 2004 — after firing Little and hiring Terry Francona.
Snell had allowed just one hit through five innings, but with the Rays nursing a 1-0 lead, Cash took him out after he allowed a one-out single in the sixth. Overused reliever Nick Anderson quickly squandered the lead as the Dodgers clinched the World Series. “We were all kind of excited that Snell was out of the game,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
Britton wasn’t just the best reliever in the majors in 2016, he also had one of the greatest relief seasons ever with 47 saves and a 0.54 ERA. The Baltimore Orioles would lose the wild-card game to the Blue Jays in 11 innings — with Britton somehow never even getting into the game.
The Mets were leading 2-0 heading into the ninth, trying to stay alive in the World Series against the Royals. Harvey had a four-hit shutout going and had thrown 101 pitches. Collins told Harvey his night was done, but Harvey lobbied to remain in the game. Collins left him in. The Royals scored twice and then won in 12 innings.
2. Pedro Martinez throws 72-year-old Yankees coach Don Zimmer to the ground during the Red Sox-Yankees brawl in the 2003 ALCS.
3. Midges attack Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain in the 2007 ALDS as he blows a 1-0 lead with a walk and two wild pitches.
4. The Bartman Game: The Cubs implode in the eighth inning of Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS, allowing eight runs to blow a 3-0 lead after Cubs fan Steve Bartman interferes with Moises Alou’s attempt to catch a foul ball.
The beauty of baseball: Anyone might be the hero. Here are five non-stars who stepped up when their teams needed them the most in October:
The secret ingredient to the Giants’ three titles in five years: the bullpen, which had a 2.42 ERA over three postseasons. And nobody was better than Affeldt, who allowed just two runs in 26 innings, including 2⅓ scoreless innings in Game 7 in 2014 ahead of Madison Bumgarner’s five scoreless innings.
Everyone remembers the final highlight, but Luis Gonzalez’s broken-bat blooper doesn’t happen if Womack doesn’t first hit a broken-bat game-tying double (and Mark Grace got the rally going with a leadoff single).
With the Cubs looking to end their 108-year World Series curse, manager Joe Maddon went into Game 7 looking to use three pitchers: Kyle Hendricks, Jon Lester and Aroldis Chapman. But when the game went into extra innings, he needed a fourth pitcher. Carl Edwards Jr. got two outs in the 10th but then allowed a run, so Maddon called upon a fifth pitcher with the tying run on base.